Organogram:

Department of Occupational standards (DOS) Standards & Qualifications Division

Assessment & Certification Division

Review & Audit Division

Department of Occupational Standards (DOS) formerly known as the Bhutan Vocational Qualifications Authority (BVQA) is one of the four Departments under the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources. Brief History: Oct 2000 June 2003: BVQF as one of the programs of the then National Technical Training Authority (NTTA) 13th June 2003: Ministry of Labour and Human Resources created with incorporation of Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) and National Technical Training Authority (NTTA). BVQA established as a regulatory department under the Ministry as a result of bifurcation of the training delivery and regulatory functions of the then NTTA. January 2006: Change of Department name from Bhutan Vocational Qualifications Authority to Department of Occupational Standards (DOS) in accordance with the directives of the GG+ document. Mandate of the Department: The mandate of the department is to improve and monitor the quality of vocational skills acquired by individuals through the Bhutan Vocational Qualifications framework (BVQF). The main responsibilities of the department: i. ii. Developing policies and procedures to support the policy objective of quality assurance and implement it effectively; Developing a qualifications framework that encourages and promotes lifelong learning and skills development for all groups of learners, irrespective of age and educational qualification;

iii. iv. v.

Assessing and certifying skill competencies of Vocational Education and Training (VET) trainees and workers achieved through a national Assessment and Certification System; Developing and implementing a National Accreditation system for accrediting vocational training programmes and training providers, both government and private. Adopting technical interventions to reduce existing mismatches between skills acquired by VET graduates and the skill competency requirements of our private sector and industry.

Objectives: The Department will strive to achieve the following objectives: i. ii. iii. iv. To assist the vocational training providers, both government and private produce and contribute skilled and productive workforce to the economy of Bhutan; To develop Occupational Competency Standards for each priority occupation and sector; To establish a national Accreditation system to accredit all training programmes/providers in the country; To develop effective partnership with industry to improve relevance and quality of training;

The objectives shall be accomplished through the BVQF. What is BVQF? It is a system of testing, certifying & monitoring nationally recognized qualification for all the learning against national standards, in school, in the workplace, in the vocational institutes or anywhere where learning takes place. Note: The schedules to the BVQF regulations will be posted soon.

Elements & Functions of the BVQF

TRAINING (Theory/Practice)

OCCUPATIONALPROFILES (DACUM Chart)

CURRICULUM/PROGRAM

Trainees

TEST ITEMS TEST ITEM DATABASE Skilled Workers Without Certificates

INDUSTRY Assessment (Written/Practical)

Certified Skilled Workers

CERTIFICATION

Activities: These objectives will be pursued through a departmental structure comprised of three divisions. 1. Standards and Qualifications Division will focus on: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. Development of Occupational profiles (OP) in priority and relevant occupations with the cooperation of industry and employers; Quality control and bench marking of occupational profiles; Development and implementation of the National Accreditation system; Management of OP and Qualifications database; Administering the qualifications and standards; Establishing linkages with Industry for the effective development of qualifications; Advocacy and publicity related to the Bhutan Vocational Qualifications Framework (BVQF).

2. Assessment and Certification Division will focus on: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. Developing test item database for each occupation / level based on OP; Training of test Item Developers; Development ad management of an electronic test item database; Quality control of test items; Training and registration of occupation specific Assessors; Administering summative assessment; Reporting and recording results of assessment; Verifying the results of assessors assessment; Certifying the achievement of skill competency standards obtained by trainees and workers (*including foreign workers in the future).

3. Review and Audit Division will focus on: i. ii. iii. iv. v. Reviewing standards and qualifications; Reviewing registration and performance of assessors; Reviewing of accreditation of training programmes; Reviewing course approvals; Quality auditing of the training providers.

Services of the Department: i. ii. iii. Development of Occupational profiles in collaboration with expert workers and industry which will define required worker competencies in line with economy and technology; Development of assessment procedures and instruments which will be used to test and verify the workers competencies together with the employers; Awarding of certificates of occupational competencies at various levels.

What is an Occupational Profile (OP)? Occupational Profile is a norm documenting the standard knowledge, skills, attitude and behavior required for an occupation to be performed in acceptable standards. The OPs shall inform all the interested parties and the job seekers about the general occupational requirements a candidate has to fulfill during assessment in order to obtain a national Competency Certificate. In essence an OP is comprised of: i. ii. iii. iv. v. An accepted occupation title and designation with respect to the level the OP has been prepared for; The occupational requirements (duties and tasks) a person must comply with if he/she is to perform a certain occupation successfully; The general scope of tools and equipments to be used; A brief description of general skills, knowledge and general work behavior that a person will have to possess, if he/she is to fulfill the occupational requirements appropriately; The future trends of occupation along with the trends of specialization.

Why OP? i. To provide employers, employees and job-seekers with a common understanding of what is required for a particular employment in the labour market(viz. employment specifications); ii. To enhance employment by increasing transparency between what is needed in the world of work and what employers and job seekers will have to offer in terms of competencies (knowledge, skills and work behavior); iii. To assist curriculum developers in their job by establishing the occupational qualifications required by the labour market; iv. To support educational services such as occupational training, occupational exchange, occupational promotion, etc, provided for equipping of persons with occupational qualifications; v. To support the establishment of a testing and certification system that is respectable and reliable and complies to international standards;

vi. vii. viii. ix. x.

To increase the proportion of national labour force holding commonly accepted National Competency certificates; To increase efficiency of employment exchange and placements in the labour market; To improve occupational mobility of employees holding National Competency Certificates; To improve the countrys economy through enhanced productivity; To reduce unemployment rates in the long run.

How are OPs developed?

OVERALL PROCEDURE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES (OPs)

1. IDENTIFICATION and PRIORITISATION of occupations on advice of industry representatives 2. PREPARATION of OP development workshops (e.g. recruitment of expert practioners) with assistance of employers. 3. CONDUCTING OP development workshops (Using the DACUM method) 4. QUALITY CONTROL and EDITING of OP

5. VERIFICATION of OP and APPROVAL

= involvement of industry / stakeholders to ensure relevance The OPs are currently developed by the Department of Occupational Standards (DOS) in close cooperation with occupational experts from local industries and enterprises and are

reviewed by the relevant institutions. Upon verification and endorsement, OP will be available to all interested parties. The verification process involves the formation of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for each economic sector to guide and advise DOS on the occupational standards. Roles and responsibilities of the Technical Advisory Committee: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. Assist and advise the DOS on the identification and recommendation of priority occupations; Assist the DOS with the nomination of most appropriate expert workers to develop Occupational Profiles; Assist in the development and review of Occupational Profiles and qualifications for the occupations; Endorse the Occupational profiles developed; Assist and advise in strengthening the curriculum; Advise in the development and implementation of the national assessment & certification system; Assist in the accreditation of sector related training programmes; Assist in the organization and conduct of skill competitions; Reviewing and evaluating OPs; Promote public relations, and Improving relationship with other organizations.

The OP reflects the actual requirements of the Bhutanese economy while paying due attention to the regional and international developments. While developing the OP, other related sources at regional and international levels have also been referred to for purposes of benchmarking to ensure national recognition and international or regional comparability.

How many levels? OPs are issued considering three different occupational levels (Level 1, 2, 3 in increasing order of complexity of skill and knowledge competency requirements) as defined below:
Dimension level 1 Scope of work Duties and tasks 2 Context Working environment 3 Complexity Task sequence & junctures 4 Predictability Degree of routine Vs. nonroutine Often unpredictable situations and dealing with unknown problems Occasionally unpredictable situations and unknown problems Occasionally unpredictable situations 5 Team work Group-self organisation 6 Leadership Instruction and control of others 7 Autonomy Degree of empowerment 8 Resource control Financial & physical access 9 Creation of concepts Linking analysis, diagnosis evaluation Often required

4 (Diploma)

Full range of the occupation; sometimes beyond

Full variety

Complex all the time

Typically required

Leading most of the time

Very high

Ample control

3 (Highly Skilled) Advance certificate 2 (Skilled) National Certificate 2 1 (Semi Skilled) National Certificate 1

Broad range

Wide variety

Frequently complex

Very likely

Often leading Being lead and leading subordinates (intermediate ) Working under direct supervision

High; often being checked on basis of results Some with intermittent checking by supervisor Little, being regularly checked

To considerable extent

None, but may contribute proposals None, but may collect and contribute data none

Moderate range

Usually some variety

Sometimes complex

Likely

To some extent

Narrow range

Uniform and mostly not changing

Rarely complex

Routine all the time

May or may not be the case

None

These generic descriptors may be used to identify different and distinct competence levels within occupations across the whole economy. In order to determine the competence level or level of an occupation, a majority of descriptors not necessarily all should apply. Staff details Page: Name: Designation: Sangay Dorjee Director

Email Address: sangaydorjee@hotmail.com

Name: Designation:

Wangda Dorji Programme Officer, Standards & Qualifications Division

Email:

wdorji@druknet.bt

Name: Designation: Email:

Yeshey Khandu Programme Officer, Assessment & Certification Division yesheyk@druknet.bt

Name: Designation:

Chhimi Wangchuk Programme Officer, Standards & Qualifications Division

Email:

chimi_w@druknet.bt

Name: Designation: Email:

Ugyen Zangmo ICT Technical Associate II uzang2003@yahoo.com

Name: Designation: Email:

Tashi Dawa Adm. Asst. tashedas@gmail.com

Name: Designation: Email:

Dechen Wangmo Dispatcher deyang06@hotmail.com

Name: Designation: Email: Name: Designation:

Sangay Choden Messenger dekicho_123@hotmail.com Ugyen Tshering Driver